More from Football

Rory Delap: Former Stoke man talks about the origins of his long throw

Rory Delap reveals how his throw-in skills almost saw him hurl a Christmas pudding over a bus.

Last Updated: 04/03/14 5:38pm

Former Stoke midfielder Delap - who began his career at Carlisle and retired earlier this year following a stint with League Two promotion chasers Burton - created many goals and scoring opportunities for the Potters with his ability to fling the ball lengthy distances from the touchline.

And whilst revealing how he discovered his throwing ability, the ex-Republic of Ireland international also spoke about the peculiar things he was asked do because of it.

Delap said: "I was at an athletics club in Carlisle and got pretty good at the javelin so I don't know If that's where it came from because I never did [long throws] in youth football.

"One day in a reserve game for Carlisle my mate came to watch and when he threw me the ball I just chucked it forward, it landed on our striker's head and we won the game."

"I then started using it in the first team and as I had to run from wherever I was on the pitch to take throw-ins, it got my Opta stats up!

Plates

"I ended up giving having chats to newspapers about every aspect of the throw - even though I don't really know how I did it - and chucking plates and jugs at targets for a Stoke pottery company.

"But my gaffer at Stoke, Tony Pulis, drew the line when I was asked to chuck a Christmas pudding over a double-decker bus!"

Delap - who also played for Derby, Southampton, Sunderland and on loan at Barnsley - discussed his move into the coaching world, too, and his recently-acquired Uefa coaching badge.

"I have coped with retirement fine as, at 37 years of age, it came at a good time for me, and I have been doing a bit of coaching down at Derby, where I'm currently taking the under-14s.

"I have just completed my Uefa B licence and while I don't think I have ever been more nervous than I was before the session, it was one of the best feelings I've ever had when I passed.

"I learnt a lot on the course as you have to look at things totally differently to the way you do as a player and see how people put things right, not just say where they have gone wrong."